Lagos, Aug 2 (EFE).- At least 21 people were killed during the first day of protests by young people against the high cost of living in several Nigerian cities, a civil society organization told EFE Friday.
Thursday’s protests were met by a tough crackdown by security forces, with the United Front for United Action of Civil Society (UFCS), one of the groups leading the protests, blaming the deaths of “poor management” and “operational failures” by police.
“It is very unfortunate that people have been killed for coming out to express their concerns about the country (…). We condemn the killings and call on security agencies to ensure the protection of protesters,” Olawale Okunniyi, head of coordination for UFCS told EFE by telephone.
Okunniyi also condemned elements who had “posed as protesters to carry out destructive acts”, adding that the movement leaders would “never support those who try to discredit the protests by looting government offices and attacking police stations.”
“That is not our goal and it must stop,” he said, referring to attempts by some protesters to gain access to the National Assembly (Parliament) compound and the area around the Supreme Court.
Okunniyi stressed that the deaths of protesters would not stop the demonstrations, driven especially by young people through social media – similar to the recent movement in Kenya – and which are planned for 10 days.
Thousands of young people took to the streets on Thursday to protest the high cost of living and record inflation in the country, in mostly peaceful rallies.
Schools, banks and markets remained closed in the face of the protests, which took place in cities such as the capital, Abuja, the country’s major commercial city, Lagos and the cities of Enugu (east) and Kano (north).
Several cities were preparing for the second day of protests on Friday, including Lagos where young people were gathering in the Gani Fawehinmi Park, surrounded by heavily armed police and armored vehicles, as EFE could verify.
“We will not stop until the government takes appropriate action,” Tunde Ajayi, 20, told EFE as he raised his fists.
The cost of living in Nigeria has risen since President Bola Tinubu came to power in May 2023, with inflation reaching an all-time high of 33.95 percent in June.
Soaring inflation has raised the prices of basic commodities such as rice, maize and yams, which have become unaffordable for many Nigerians.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country (more than 213 million inhabitants) and also one of its main oil producers, as well as one of the continent’s largest economies.
However, four out of ten Nigerians live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
Inflation, in fact, is one of the reasons for the malnutrition crisis in the country’s northern states, which has led to an “extraordinary increase in admissions of severely malnourished children with life-threatening complications,” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned in June. EFE
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